Wireless communication has advanced significantly over the past few decades. Today, mobile terminals play an important role in consumer and commercial settings. As consumers and business operators utilize mobile terminals as an integral part of their lives and businesses, it is increasingly becoming important to be able to take these devices and access the functionalities provided by these devices where ever they go. As a result, today's mobile devices are frequently used in environments hostile to the mobile terminal's electronics. This is particularly true for business operators who may be using these wireless devices in warehouses or in outdoor environments where the devices may be exposed to undesirable foreign matter (e.g. water, other fluids, moisture, particulate matter, dust, etc.). Accordingly, the sealing feature of a display of the mobile device and the device housing is important for the continued operational integrity of the device in the presence of such hostile environments.
In Mangaroo et al. (US Patent Publication No. 2010/0025942), a resilient seal component for a portable terminal to inhibit the penetration of foreign matter from an exterior environment into the interior of the portable terminal is described. The resilient seal component is positioned between the display and the interior compartment of the portable terminal where the display resides. The resilient seal component has at least one sealing rib to prevent the penetration of foreign matter from the exterior environment into the interior of the portable terminal. Although an effective seal is created, the display is vulnerable to a phenomenon known as “pillowing”. This effect occurs when the top film 302 (e.g. touchscreen layer) is distorted by lateral forces (e.g. 300B in FIG. 1) exerted from the top portion of the resilient seal component. As depicted in FIG. 1, the force 300A is translated into force 300B because the sealing body 304 can only move inwardly. When the inward force 300B is exerted onto the top film 302 of the display 306, the film 302 separates from the display and rises like a “pillow”—See FIG. 1. “Pillowing” effect leads to degradation of optical appearance, imprecise and inaccurate touch input detection, and can also lead to an electrical short between layers. Therefore, there is a need for a display assembly that reduces or eliminates this “pillowing” effect and that provides effective seal against unwanted foreign materials.